Bad Pet
by Tsubame-Hina
Summary: Inspired by the jdrama Kimi wa Petto and its Korean equivalent You Pet, Bad Pet is a story about a young student who takes in a teenaged boy when she finds him asleep and wounded in a box outside her home. That boy is Kenshin Himura, who's running away from something. But what is he running away from and what happens when both she- Kaoru Kamiya, and he start to fall for each other?
1. Chapter 1

It was late afternoon and Kaoru was heading home from class. She'd been at university since the early hours of the morning, studying and then stuck in classes until four. If not for the fact that she had assignments to work on, she'd have gone straight to bed the moment she got inside.

It was because she was so tired that she thought she were just seeing things when she spied a big cardboard box sitting outside her apartment building. Looking over her shoulder to see if anyone else had noticed it, she stepped towards it.

It was probably a delivery for one of the other residents. Maybe a television or something else big. But she noticed the box wasn't sealed. That was weird.

Curiosity got the better of her. Cautiously Kaoru peeled open a flap and looked inside-

-and jumped back, gasping in surprise.

There was a boy in there!

Curled up with his knees tucked under his chin, and a fresh scar on his cheek, a young man who must have been about nineteen or eighteen was sleeping - or maybe unconscious - inside the box. She looked closer. He wasn't just bleeding from his cheek; there was a cut on his hand too. It looked like maybe someone had beaten him up.

"Hey..."She said softly, reaching in and tapping him gently on the shoulder. "Excuse me?"

He didn't stir, just groaned in his sleep.

Could she just leave him there? It didn't seem very responsible, but then again neither was taking a random boy into your apartment. She stood there for a moment, trying to come to a decision.

That was when the weather made the decision for her. Thunder rumbled from the sky, and rain abruptly started to beat down on her. Not even a sudden torrent of rain on him was enough to wake the boy in the cardboard box up.

"Hey!" she called at a fellow resident as he left the building. "Um... can you help me get this box inside?"

"Sure," he said, putting down his briefcase and heading over. "What is it, like a delivery?"

"Um, yeah,"Kaoru said nervously, closing the flap quickly so he couldn't see inside. "A television. I don't want it to get wet but it's too heavy to carry by myself."

He helped her carry it inside and up to her apartment.

"Thanks," she said as he left, shutting her apartment's door with a soft click. Then,she turned and stared helplessly at the box sitting in her front room. What on earth was she supposed to do now?

Hiya! I'm sorry that this chapter is basically uneventful, but it'll be better in the future!


	2. Chapter 2

Kay so I'm like, feeling really happy!

I'm so glad that someone actually reviewed, on the first day! *runs around squealing* And to answer your question darling, I basically alternated the ages. So Kaoru is two years older than Kenshin... I couldn't make her much older because I thought that would be pushing it a bit too much to the extreme. But thank you for dropping your review! I hope to see more, hai?

Aishteruyo!

PS: He doesn't have his scar here, ne? I didn't think it would be natural to have someone so young with an aged scar O_O;;

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Yahiko: Praise Kami! I would never want to be owned by an ugly tanuki like her.

Me: WHAT WAS THAT?! -grabs broom- SILENCE BRAT! I KILL YOU!

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Eventually Kaoru dragged the boy from his box and lay him on her couch. She couldn't just leave him curled up inside a cardboard home after all. Then she took care of the cuts on his hands and cheeks, dabbing at them with a wet cloth to get them clean and covering them with plasters. He didn't wake, apparently solidly passed out.

She felt rather guilty for doing it but she had a quick look through his pockets anyway, looking for I.D or something that might tell her who he was. But he didn't even have a phone; the only thing she had found in his pockets was an old chocolate bar wrapper, which she had put back rather than throw away.

What was she even supposed to do? Maybe call the police? He might be a missing person. But as she blinked down at him and the cuts on his face, she decided she'd wait until he woke up. There was no point getting the police involved until she knew exactly who he was and what he'd been doing in that cardboard box.

She made some pasta instead, eating half of it herself; wrinkling her nose slightly at the blandness before glaring down at it. She could never get used to cooking, could she? She sealed the other half away in a tupperware box from him to eat when he woke up. On the coffee table beside the couch she left a note explaining how she had found him and how the pasta in the fridge was for him. Then she went to bed. Kaoru was simply too tired to wait around for him to wake up.

"Hey, wake up."

She stirred at the noise, shifting in her sleep. It was still dark in her bedroom, so it had to still be the middle of the night. She could feel a hot breath on her face. Maybe she was dreaming? Her eyes fluttered but didn't open.

The mattress of her bed suddenly sagged beneath an added weight, and the breath on her face increased. Suddenly realising this was most certainly not a dream, Kaoru's eyes blinked open in alarm.

The boy she had rescued earlier was hovering above her, his face perilously close to hers. Quick as a flash, his hand clapped over her mouth, muffling her loud shriek of surprise.

' Oh no, I should have known letting a strange boy into my apartment was a stupid idea. He's going to kill me with an axe.'

"I wanted to thank you," he said, smiling down prettily at her. "For the food, and for this," and he took his hand off her mouth to tap the plaster on his cheek.

"Get off!" she hissed, trying to sit up. Still smiling cynically, he did as she had said.

"That was all," he said. "I'll let you go back to sleep now." With that, he trotted out of her bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

She blinked, pulling her duvet up around her. What a strange person. Would he just leave now? Probably. She'd wake up in the morning and he would be gone. Nobody would have the cheek to stick around, especially after waking you up so rudely, right?

Yes, she decided sleepily as she settled back down in bed. In the morning he would be only a memory.

"Good morning!" chirped the boy as Kaoru walked out of her room and into the kitchenette that sat adjacent to her front room. He was sat at the table with a messy bed-head of vibrant red hair, smiling at her expectantly.

"You're still here..." she said drowsily, taking the sight of him in.

He was cute, she decided reluctantly. It had been difficult to tell last night, when she'd been panicking and worrying about what to do with him. He was on the cusp of adulthood, with features still pretty and delicate enough to be cute, but already blossoming into maturity. And she was staring. Mentally reprimanding herself , she looked away.

"It's not as if I have anywhere to go," the boy said, strangely casual about this fact. "And I couldn't just run off without telling you. You don't even know my name."

"Well, tell me your name and then you can go," Kaoru said impatiently.

"Kenshin Himura," he said, pouting childishly. "But I'm not going. Not yet. I told you, I don't have anywhere to go."

"Can't you go home to your parents or something? How old are you? You must be sixteen or seventeen."

"I'm nineteen," he said, looking mortally offended that she could even mistake him for younger. "My parents... aren't around."

Sighing, she opened a cupboard and took out a box of cereal, pouring herself some. "Well, in any case, you can't just stay here. I only took you in because you were in a box and it was raining and you were bleeding. I don't even know you."

"So get to know me!" Kenshin chirped happily. "Can I have some cereal? I'm hungry."

She nodded, passing him the bowl she'd already poured and fetching herself another. This kid was walking all over her, she thought a tad bitterly.

"You'll have to find somewhere to go," she said, sitting down opposite him. "Friends or relatives or something. Maybe you have an aunt or an uncle you can stay with? There has to be someone."

Kenshin's spoonful of cereal paused on its way to his mouth. "No," he said, suddenly somber. "There isn't anyone." He stared at her, his eyes boring into hers. The look in them was so deep and dark, all hope gone, that she found yourself believing him. Plus, the colour was so unusual and expressive; being a rich amber. Somehow she could tell: he was telling the truth. "Sooo..." Kenshin continued, perking up as quickly as his mood had just dropped. "Can't I stay with you? Just for a little while!"

"I can't just let some strange boy I don't know live with me," She sighed, shaking her head. "Where would you sleep, for starters?"

"It's not like I'm asking to be your live-in lover," Kenshin said, making her blush. "I'm not asking to climb into bed with you. I could just be your flatmate who sleeps on the couch."

She arched a delicate brow. "Would you pay rent?"

"Well... I kinda don't have any money..."

"Some flatmate."

"Your pet then! I could be your pet."

She set her spoon down in her bowl with a loud clang, looking at him in pure disbelief. "My pet?"

"Right!" Kenshin said, apparently pleased with himself. "Someone who lives with you and gets fed free of charge, but doesn't sleep with you. That's basically what a pet is, right?"

This kid really was desperate, she mused, looking at him.

"I wouldn't chew the furniture..." he added, looking at her hopefully.

She heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. "I'll let you stay for a week. A week. Then you're on your own."

In reply he uttered a playful little bark of gratitute, and grinned mischievously at her. She put her head in her hands. What had she just agreed to?

And that's that! So if I get another review, I'll update tomorrow~ *^*


	3. Chapter 3

So hi again guys! I'm true to my word, and I'm back with an extra long chapter today... I'm kinda sad, so that's why there's so much. I write a lot when I'm upset. At least it moved the story along nicely, ne?

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin, else I'd be cuddling him and sobbing all over him right now ^^;;

* * *

Kaoru left Kenshin to his own devices in her apartment. As she headed off to classes it occurred to her that left alone at her place he could easily just ransack it and steal everything in it. She almost turned back to go home - but if he was going to rob her couldn't he have easily just done it last night when she was fast asleep? Besides, after working on the assignment she was carrying for weeks she wasn't about to miss the deadline to hand it in.

Classes went on until evening, and it was dark when she got back. As she traipsed up to her apartment's front door she wondered if Kenshin would even still be there. Maybe she'd discover he'd had a change of heart about the entire ridiculous "pet" thing and the place would be empty.

She got her answer when she opened the door and immediately got an armful of teenaged boy, Kenshin rushing to greet her as if she was long lost family.

"Welcome home!" he said, nuzzling fondly into her neck.

"What are you doing?" she replied, astounded, peeling him off of her. "You can't just throw yourself at me like that, I barely even know you!"

"I'm your pet!" he said, unfazed. "Pets are always happy to see their masters!" He smiled, tossing his head to rid the fringe from falling in his eyes; lips curling in slightly sardonic amusement.

She rolled her eyes, but it was hard to stay mad at him. He looked... cute like that, and so eager to please that he almost looked like a real puppy. She offered him a grudging pat on the head and began to take off her coat and shoes.

"So you're a university student, right?" Kenshin said, following her into the front room. If he had had a tail it would have been wagging. "What are you studying?"

"Literature," she replied, flopping down on the couch bonelessly. "I want to work for a publishing firm when I graduate."

"My master's smart!" Kenshin chirped proudly, climbing on to the couch next to her.

Eyeballing him, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Sitting on the couch...?"

She shook her head, eyes narrowed. "Nuh uh. If you're going to act like a dog I'm going to treat you like one. You're not allowed on the couch."

Kenshin's face fell, and he opened his mouth to argue back, but then clearly thought better of it and shut it again. To her surprise, he obediently slid off the couch and sat by her feet.

"Say," he said. "If I'm a good pet, will you keep me for more than a week?"

"Absolutely not." She ignored his sad puppy dog eyes and picked up a magazine from her coffee table. "You're only here for a week. That's final."

* * *

"Whatcha writing?" Kenshin childishly queried, watching Kaoru scribble notes for an assignment. Her laptop sat open next to her, ready for her to begin typing once she'd completed your notes.

"Essay notes," she murmured in response, not paying him much attention. He was sat at her feet again, his new favourite place to sit since he'd been told he wasn't allowed on the couch.

"What about?"

"Courtly love."

Kenshin stood up and looked over Kaoru's shoulder. She took a deep breath: since he was usually sat at her feet or sprawled out on the floor she often forgot that he was actually taller than her. "Courtly love?"

"Back in medieval Europe," she explained, "it was something that happened between a knight and his lady." She glanced down at her notes. "The knight would do anything for his lady, even things that were embarrassing or made him feel foolish, just to make her happy. But they could never really be together. Actually, she was usually married."

"Wow~," Kenshin said, putting a warm hand on her shoulder and leaning over to get a better look at her notes. "Hey, isn't that kind of like us?"

"What?" She brushed his hand away.

"I embarrass myself to make you happy!" Kenshin said, adding a "woof?" as if to prove his point. Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"You're not a knight, you're just some random homeless boy. And we're not in love, you're just staying here; and I'm too much of a pushover to throw you out."

Kenshin smirked, gnawing his bottom lip. "What if I fell in love with you?" he mock-gasped, hand flying to his mouth. "What if I'm already in love with you?" He dropped back down to his knees. "It's like a drama~! The boy who loves the girl so deeply can't be with her, so he settles for being like her faithful dog..."

"Oh, stop it," she said, exasperated.

"Are you blushing? You are, aren't you? You've gone all pink! How cute!"

"I'm not blushing," she mumbled, picking up her laptop and standing up. "It's your turn to wash the dishes tonight. Get to it."

As Kenshin chuckled behind her, She went to take cover in her room. There was no lock but by now he knew not to follow her there unless he wanted no dinner the next day. As the door clicked shut behind her, she let out her breath in one long sigh. 'What were you thinking? You barely know him! He is my pet! And yet, when he'd flirted with me back in the front room... there was no mistaking it, my heart had skipped a beat.'

Next day~

"Hey, wait up!"

It was evening, and Kaoru was walking home from class. Assuming the person who had called to her was just one of the many annoying drunkards who seemed to live around the campus, just harassing the female students for fun, she ignored them and took up a brisker pace.

"Hey!"

She walked even faster, clasping her bag close to her in case they tried to grab it.

"He-oof!"

Oof? She glanced over her shoulder, and immediately felt bad. Her classmate Ryuzabaro was sprawled on the paving slabs behind her, rubbing his head.

"Ryuzabaro!" He hated it when she, or anyone else called him that, having told everyone to call him by his nickname Baro. But somehow Ryuzabaro just stuck; it fit him better than that silly nickname he insisted upon. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Fine," he groaned weakly, letting her help him to his feet. "I tripped over my own feet." A pause. "Again."

"Yeah," she replied, tossing her head. "You should probably try to stop doing that. Does your head hurt? It looks like you banged it pretty hard."

"No, it's fine. It's normal to see double, right?"

Her face fell. "Not... really. This is my fault for ignoring you and making you hurry; I feel really bad. Listen, come back to mine and I'll make sure you're not bleeding or concussed or something."

He looked delighted, making her wonder if he'd actually just fallen over on purpose. He trotted home beside her, chatting non-stop all the way about a million and one things: the books being read in class, chicken, the weather, chicken, his family, and chicken.

"And in a nutshell, I think that's why we need Captain Planet," he said as the two of them reached her apartment's front door.

She smiled lightly at him as she opened the door, and led him regretted the decision almost instantly: immediately she heard the heavy pitter-patter of Kenshin's feet on the floor rushing towards the door to throw himself at her in a hug the way he always did when she arrived home.

"That's my dog!" she said to Ryuzabaro loudly, hopefully loud enough for Kenshin to hear and realise there was company. "But don't worry, he's not allowed near the front door. Not allowed,"she added pointedly, and inwardly sighed with relief when the sudden footsteps stopped.

"You have a dog?" said Ruzabaro, his face lighting up. "I love dogs! What breed?"

"Oh... uh, he's pretty much just a mutt."

From around the corner, where she was absolutely certain Kenshin was now crouched, she heard a quiet growling noise and tried not to roll her eyes.

"He hates strangers though,"she added apologetically. "He gets very vicious. I'm sorry, I forgot he was here... I guess you'll have to go."

"You forgot your dog was here?" Ryuzabaro said, puzzled.

"That's me, always forgetful!"

He stared quizzically ather for a few moments, then shrugged. "I feel better anyway. There's only one of you now."

She apologised again as he slipped his shoes back on and she shut the door on him.

'That was way too close. How could you have forgotten the teenaged boy taking up residence in your own apartment? You have to be on guard for the rest of the week; no sense being careless.'

Kaoru was so deep in telling herself off that she never saw Kenshin coming, and seconds later he had her pinned against the wall.

* * *

Evil Cliffhanger, I know LOL. I might possibly end your wait tommorow or day after. Until then, sayonara~


	4. Chapter 4

Author's notes: Hi~ I'm rolling around in happiness for getting another review :)

Thanks! I'll double update today...

And unfortunately I might not be able to update as fast, ne? As for errors, I'd fixed them but for some reason the edits aren't showing...

Anyways I'll do my best to keep it error-free today!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, you money-hungry lawyers! :( Do people even sue for fanfics? It's called 'fan' fic for a reason... -_-

* * *

"Ack! Get off!"Kaoru shrieked as Kenshin suddenly pinned her to the wall. She expected this was one of the overpowering hugs he liked to give her whenever she arrived home.

"Dogs are affectionate, I'm just staying in character!" he'd explained to her once, ignoring her reply that she'd never said he had to act like a dog, just like a pet. Why couldn't he act like a nice self-sufficient cat?

However, after a few seconds Kenshin didn't withdraw like he usually did. He stayed pressed against her, leaning so he could nuzzle into her neck. She could feel his breath, warm against her skin. It tickled.

"Kenshin...?"

"Do you like that guy?" he murmured.

"Huh? Ryuzabaro?" She laughed at the idea. "He's just this goofy classmate of mine."

Kenshin's arms tightened around her waist possessively. "He likes you. I could tell."

Kaoru had sometimes got that impression from Ryuzabaro too. But he was too shy to ever do anything about it, and she wasn't even sure if she could ever feel that way about him. She was happy to just remain friends.

"Well, it doesn't really matter," she said, trying to pry his hands off her waist. "Will you get off and let me breathe now?"

Reluctantly, Kenshin let go of her. His hair was messy, red strands falling across his eyes, but she could see that his eyes were turned downwards towards the floor. He wouldn't look at her.

"I'm gonna go take a bath," he said quietly, turning on his heel.

What was his problem? Going all moody all of a sudden... Kaoru wondered if it was because it was his last day with her tomorrow. After that he'd have to find somewhere else to live. She wasn't heartless; she was going to give him money to go to a hostel. And he couldn't be that sad about leaving her, not when they'd only known each other a week. Could he? She watched him slope off, feeling bemused.

She would go to bed early, she decided. And tomorrow, she'd make his last day a good one.

* * *

When the sun began to rise and the first beams of morning light streamed through the curtains, Kenshin was still asleep. For once, Kaoru discovered he wasn't on the couch where he usually slept. Instead, she woke up to find him curled up at the end of her bed, his head resting on one of her feet as if it were a pillow. Her face faulted. He must have snuck in during the night. And... decided to sleep at the foot of her bed? He'd taken this pet thing way too seriously.

Still, he looked cute. His mouth was slightly parted in sleep, his tongue poking out at the corner. His scarlet hair was falling into his eyes,the rest swirling down round his shoulders, looking like a waterfall of fire, and one hand was curled around the end of her duvet, pulling it half over him for warmth. As she tried to move her foot from underneath his head he groaned quietly, grabbing hold of it and mumbling nonsensically.

"Hopeless," she muttered, sitting up and leaning forward as much as she could without moving her foot. "How am I supposed to get up with you like this?"

Her only response was a sleepy snort from Kenshin. She smiled down at him despite herself, gently brushing the hair from his eyes. "It's a good thing you're out of here today," she said. "What kind of bad pet invites himself on to his master's bed without permission first? You only did it because you knew I wouldn't punish you on your last day..."

And maybe, a little voice in her head suggested, because he was lonely.

The boy in question's eyes flickered open, blinking a few times to adjust to the light and then finally focusing on Kaoru.

"Good morning," she said, smiling down at him. "Comfortable?"

"Hmm?" he mumbled, then blinked again and seemed to realise his head was on her foot. Sheepishly, he moved to sit up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Uh, I can explain," he started, but Kaoru held up a hand.

"It's not as if it's the first time you've crawled into my bed without an invitation," she stated dryly. "At least you didn't wake me up in the middle of the night this time. Stupid pet." She reached out and ruffled his hair, giving him even more of a bedhead than he already had.

Kenshin didn't say anything. He was staring at her strangely, eyes dark and glassy. The look in his eyes seemed to drain the rest of the room of all light and colour, until finally there was only him and his eyes, drawing her in.

Before she could say anything to break the spell, Kenshin's hand was on the back of her neck, pushing her forward, and his lips were on hers.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

* * *

The feeling of Kenshin's lips on hers was a big enough surprise that Kaoru didn't immediately react. Kenshin seemed to take the fact that she wasn't pushing him away as permission to continue, and pressed harder against her, his tongue snaking between her lips. Kaoru's head was spinning: was this really happening? Was she really letting this happen?

Kenshin pushed her down gently, leaning over her as her head hit the pillows. He was murmuring something into her ear between kisses to her ear and neck, and her heart did somersaults as she realised it was her name. "Kaoru..." he said. "Kaoru..."

Before she could get back the ability to think clearly, Kenshin returned to her lips, kissing her slowly and agonisingly softly. She could feel all presence of common sense and rationality slipping easily away, yielding beneath Kenshin's warm, comforting weight.

When Kenshin suddenly stopped her eyes flickered open in disappointment, though she would never have admitted it was that. He was staring down at her tenderly, fingertips grazing her cheek as if she was something precious and treasured. For a few seconds Kaoru gazed back, allowing herself to be lost in the devoted amber depths of his eyes. That colour...she mused dizzily. It was so sexy...

Then Kenshin sprang up and off the bed, yanking the covers with him. "Okay, time to get up!" he chirped, bounding out of the room. "Come on!" He called from outside. "I want breakfast!"

"W-what?" She stared at the open bedroom door, blinking in confusion, then dragged herself out of bed and into the kitchen after him, rubbing her head. "Wait, hang on. What... what just happened?"

Kenshin was already perched on a kitchen counter, looking at her expectantly. "What do you mean?"

"Back there," Kaoru said, rubbing her eyes. "In my room."

"Don't know what you're talking about,"He said innocently, hopping off the counter and yanking a drawer open to look for chopsticks. "Hey, can I have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Don't try to mess with my head!" she snapped, shutting the drawer he'd just opened with a bang. "Back in there, you kissed me!"

"Don't all pets kiss their masters?"Kenshin replied sweetly, adding one of his pointed little "Woof!"s for emphasis. As if to prove his point, he sidled up beside her, leaning in to dart his tongue against her ear. She jumped backwards, scuttering across the kitchen floor. "Jeez, now you have a problem with it..."

"This is ridiculous," Kaoru sighed, rubbing her ear self-consciously. "Let's just... make the most of this day, since it's your last with me. Without any kissing or licking."

Kenshin shrugged. "Fine. Whatever."

* * *

Kaoru let Kenshin lounge around on the floor watching television while she packed a picnic. She had a good idea of the sort of food he liked by now: the rule seemed to be that if it was bad for his teeth, he loved it. She filled the basket with enough sugary things to make her own teeth ache just looking at them and then called for Kenshin.

"Let's get going," she said.

The two of them climbed into a taxi and stopped at a local park. Thanks to it being a weekday it was mostly empty but for a few loved up couples cosied up together on benches. Kenshin followed her across the park to sit underneath the shade of a huge oak that sat near the flowerbeds.

"It's like we're on a date!" he said, sprawling out on the grass.

"No it isn't," Kaoru replied primly, crouching beside him and laying out a blanket on the grass. Maybe Kenshin didn't care about getting grass stains on his clothes but she did. "It's not like that all."

"Everyone's gonna think we're a couple," Kenshin said, smirking mischievously at her. He leaned against her, arms suddenly looping around her to pull her into an embrace. "My cute master~."

"Stop it! Didn't I say not to do this?" she hissed, trying to pick his arms off of her.

"You said no kissing or licking. You didn't say no hugging," replied Kenshin, squeezing tighter. "Besides, I hug you all the time. Why are you freaking out now?"

"We're in public,"she whispered.

Reluctantly, Kenshin let go, his eyes downcast. "I just thought since it's my last day..." he mumbled. Kaoru bit her lip, and her fingers twitched. She wanted to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder or the head. But then Kenshin suddenly smiled again. "Well, forget it! What kind of food did you bring?" He started to rummage about in the picnic basket, grabbing at anything that looked good. "Wow, you brought a lot, huh!"

She couldn't help but smile affectionately as he began devouring the food she'd packed, spilling crumbs all over his lap as he ate enthusiastically. Thankfully it was all cakes and cupcakes (which were not made by her, Praise Kami)

"For such a skinny boy you eat like a horse," she remarked, reaching forward to brush a stray crumb from his cheek.

"You're not eating anything," said Kenshin through a mouthful of food. He picked up one of the cupcakes and held it up to her lips. "Come on!"

Kaoru blinked, then allowed him to feed her. It was his last day, he was allowed to get away with some things. As Kenshin beamed at her and returned to looking through the contents of the basket she caught one of the couples sat on a bench opposite smiling knowingly at her. She flushed. They thought that they were a fellow couple.

Oh Well.


	6. Chapter 6

You guys so deserve this update! SO MANY REVIEWS ZOMGGGG~

-glomps everyone with tears of happiness-

Unfortunately I wanted to put a triple update instead of double (To thank you for such kind reviews) But I am in great pain right now, plus it's 2:53 am, not very good for me (it's that time of the month T.T) so I'm wishing I could've been my boyfriend and let him feel my pain! Complaining about my crankiness...pshhh let his ovaries catch on fire, so he'll see how it is! Well...I wouldn't wish that upon him cause I love him 3 So yeah whatever. D'ya know that Kenshin's character is based on his? It just happened somehow LOL...he always kisses me all of a sudden. But anyways, thanks guys, and enjoy :)

PS. I'm very honoured that some of you made this fic one of your favourites 3333

* * *

The picnic was over before it had even begun, it seemed. Kenshin devoured most of the contents of the basket at an alarming speed, eating as if he'd been starved for days. Then, with a contented sigh, he flopped down on the blanket and nudged his head on to Kaoru's lap.

"You should rub my belly, like I'm a real dog!" he said, grabbing her hand and pressing it to his stomach.

She couldn't resist laughing down at him; he was so cute lying there grinning happily at her. She even began to obediently stroke his stomach, but it was at that precise moment that the clouds parted and rain began to shower down on the two of them, making Kenshin yelp at the sudden raindrops in his eyes.

"Wow, the weather forecast lied," she said, quickly bundling the blanket into the basket and getting to her feet. "It said it would be sunny all day. I didn't even bring a jacket."

Kenshin was already shrugging out of his own and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Hey, shouldn't it be me protecting you from the rain?"Kaoru said, poking him. "You're the pet here."

"It's a pet's duty to protect his master," Kenshin retorted, sticking out his tongue. "Come on, what's next? Where are we going now?"

"Well..." she hesitated. "Actually I'd planned that we'd just stay here and enjoy the sun for a few hours and then go to the hostel, but..."

Kenshin's face fell. "Oh."

"But we can go somewhere else! There's cafes around here, and shops we can look around in. There's plenty of stuff we can do instead."

Kenshin fixed a smile on his face, his eyes turning a shade of distant violet. "I don't mind just going to the hostel now."

"Huh?"

"I mean," Kenshin continued, his smile stubbornly in place, "I'm going there today no matter what, right? A couple of hours makes no difference... it's better than just traipsing around in the rain."

"Are you sure?"

"Come on, where's the hostel? We can race each other there!"

Silently she pointed in the right direction, allowing Kenshin to grab her arm and yank her forward in his usual way. It wasn't a long way, a five minute walk at most. It was selfish, but Kaoru felt hurt that he seemed to be taking this so easily, smiling and laughing as if it were any other day. True, they'd only known each other a week, but she found herself feeling strangely bereft, so why wasn't he?

"Hey, is this it?" said Kenshin as the pair approached a big white building with the words HOSTEL emblazoned above the doors. "Pretty nice for a hostel."

"I wouldn't want you staying anywhere dodgy," Kaoru whispered, her voice hoarse.

Kenshin turned to look at her. "Well... I guess this is goodbye then, huh? Hey... are you crying?"

She tentatively touched her fingertips to her eyes in surprise. Sure enough, there were tears forming in the corners.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again," Kenshin said. "I mean, I know where you live. I can always come and visit."

"Right,"she said, rubbing her eyes. "It'll just be... different, that's all." More quietly, she added, "I guess I just kind of liked having a pet."

Kenshin laughed. "You can get a cat or something. Jeez."

"That's not really the same,"she murmured. Realising she was still wearing his coat, she began to shrug it off her shoulders, but Kenshin put a hand to stop her.

"Just keep it."

"But-"

"It's still raining. You'll be soaked if you walk home without it. Besides," he smirked, "I like the idea of you cuddling it when you miss me. Holding it close, crying my name..."

Despite herself she rolled her eyes. "You really think we're in some stupid romantic drama, don't you?"

Kenshin didn't laugh the way she expected him to. Instead, his eyes clouded over and suddenly he stepped closer to her, putting one hand under her chin to tilt her face up towards his. Before she knew it he was kissing her for the second time that day, his other arm winding around her waist to pull her into him. Ugh, Kaoru thought, cursing her lack of self-control. For a stupid teenaged boy he's actually a good kisser.

When he let go she gasped, feeling as if all her breath had left her body.

"I really liked being your pet," Kenshin murmured, then after pressing another kiss to her forehead he turned to leave.


	7. Chapter 7

So I'm back! And a special shout out to Houkanno Yuuhou, who graciously wrote such a long review for my story. I'm very honoured that you did that, the length of that review was probably the length of half a chapter! :/ So I shall now go and strive to make them longer and even more enjoyable. If he was my husband, I'd nibble his toes off, xD Also, another shout out to JeniNeji, who was my first reviewer and one of my favourite authors^^ Oh and since Ryuzabaro's name is too long and I'm lazy (xD) I'll call him Ryu for short. And I'm currently in a fit of giggles over how much you guys understand Kenshin. Aish, Kaoru is really dense -_- lol. I'm gonna change Kaoru's age to twenty. It really doesn't seem right to make her really older than Kenshin...maybe I should've used Tomoe? But personally, I find that Kaoru was better suited for Kenshin. Not bashing the TomoexKenshin fans, because Tomoe was indeed lovely, but I think she's not vivacious enough or very much fun ^^;;

But it's just IMO~ so ne! Thanks again for following and reviewing!

Note: From now on reviews shall be very slow. About two weeks before a chapter appears...my family is in disarray, and school's re-starting tomorrow...

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

* * *

I thought you had a dog," said Ryu as Kaoru let him in. "The vicious one?"

"Oh, um..."she struggled to find an excuse. "Yeah, he's with a friend today. She's walking him for me since I had classes and... and... and that's it." Believable? Not really, not with the stammering way she'd said it, but Ryu seemed satisfied.

It had been a week since Kenshin left, and her apartment seemed huge and impossibly quiet in his absence. She wondered what he was doing, if he was still at the hostel. He'd implied he might visit, but she had heard nothing. Phoning was out of the question since he didn't have a phone but he hadn't even written.

"I thought we could study together," she said to Ryu, sitting down at the kitchen table and spreading open a textbook.

Ryu's face lit up at the idea, and he eagerly jumped into a seat next to her.

It wasn't as if she actually needed to study, but the prospect of another lonely evening wondering about Kenshin was too much to bear. As company went, Ryu wasn't a bad choice.

Her class had moved on from studying courtly love to other romances in literature, and the textbook sitting on the table in front of her was the complete works of flipped the pages forward until she reached Romeo and Juliet.

"I liked courtly love better," Ryu groaned, staring down at the words on the page. "I can't get my head around Shakespeare."

She smiled. Actually, she already knew that. Everyone in the class did, thanks to Ryu's habit of asking the meaning of unfamiliar words in the play every other minute.

"Romeo and Juliet is barely even a love story anyway," Ryu continued, rubbing his eyes. "Just some silly teenagers who think they're in love."

The pair of them were twenty, only just out of their teen years themselves , but she didn't say that. Something else was more important. "You don't think teenagers can fall in love?"

"Not really," Ryu shrugged. "Say, can we order food? I haven't eaten any chicken today."

"Go ahead."

Kaoru wasn't really paying Ryu much attention as he ordered food for her as well as himself. She was thinking about Kenshin, and the way he'd looked into her eyes, the way he'd kissed her, how his hand had felt on the back of her neck and tucked against the curve of her waist.

Was he thinking about her?

* * *

For the first week, Kenshin waited for Kaoru to return for him. Part of him knew it was just a stupid dream, but every time he heard the hostel's front door open he dashed from his room to see who it was.

Maybe she'll get lonely without me, or she'll feel bad about dumping me. Then she'll come back, and say dropping me off here was a stupid mistake.

But it never happened.

"You always look so miserable," said the guy who shared a room with him, bringing Kenshin out of his thoughts. "What's your deal, anyway?"

Sanosuke wasn't a bad guy. As roommates went, he was pretty cool, sharing his food with Kenshin and being generally easy to get along with so long as you didn't make any jokes about his hair.

"Let me guess," Sano continued. "Teenage runaway, right?"

"Basically," Kenshin said, hopping off the windowsill he'd been sitting on.

"Sometimes you look like you're waiting for someone."

Kenshin merely shrugged.

"Are you waiting for your parents to find you, is that it? Is this some kind of stunt to get attention?"

"It's not my parents I'm waiting for," said Kenshin, dropping down on to his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

There was a rustling noise from Sano's direction, which meant he was opening a bag of snacks. Through a mouthful of cookies, he said, "Then who? Teacher?"

"No." Kenshin wracked his brain for an answer that wouldn't make him sound too weird. "Girlfriend, I guess." Yeah right, in my dreams. She'd kill me if she knew I'd said that.

Sano whistled. "Girlfriend? Dude, why are you hanging around here waiting for your girlfriend to come get you?" Another rustle. "Want a cookie?"

Kenshin declined.

"What I'd do," Sanosuke said, munching loudly, "if I were you, is I'd get out of this hostel and go find my girl myself. If you stick around here just waiting for her like some loser she'll just find another guy."

This was the one thing Kenshin didn't like about Sanosuke, apart from his tendency to fly into a rage if someone brought up roosters: he always acted like he knew best, even when he had only half a clue what he was talking about.

"Well, you're not me," Kenshin replied hotly. "So back off." He pulled his pillow over his head before Sano could reply.

But what Sanosuke had said still raced through his mind, conjuring up all sorts of images. Another guy? Like who? Maybe that classmate who came round that time... what if she gets lonely and turns to him? Ugh, don't think about it. Just go to sleep.

But he couldn't sleep.

* * *

It was a few days later when Kaoru spotted him. The red hair, the fuzzy blue jacket he always wore when he felt down, and then the heart-stopping smile as he accepted his change from the cashier.

At first she wasn't sure. It wasn't something she'd admit to but she'd been constantly mistaking any red-haired boys (which weren't many) for Kenshin ever since he left, only to be disappointed when they turned around. But then he flashed that smile, the one that seemed to light up the entire room, and her heart missed a beat.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru blurted before she could stop herself.

He whirled around to look at her, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Is it you?" she babbled, running up to him as if she needed a closer look before she could really believe it. "How have you been? Are you still at the hostel? Are you good?" She caught herself, realising she was coming on far too strong, and backed off. "Just... wondering."

"I'm still at the hostel," Kenshin said slowly. "I thought you might visit..."

"I thought you would visit," she said, taken by surprise.

Kenshin shrugged. "I didn't know you wanted me to."

"You look thin," she said, reaching up to pinch his cheek before remembering they were in public and dropping her hand. "Have you been eating?"

Kenshin merely shrugged again.

"Maybe you should come back to mine and have dinner," she said, tutting. "Just for old time's sake, mind you."

Kenshin let her lead him back to her apartment, uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn for most of the walk. He only seemed to perk up at the sight of the apartment door, bounding in before her.

"It's a lot tidier now you're gone," she said, following him in. Kenshin had already trotted over to the fridge, opening it and sticking his head inside to see what she had in. "Ahh, really~? You've only been back five seconds and already you're planning to eat everything in my fridg-oof!" Her words were cut off as Kenshin turned and threw himelf at her, grabbing her in a tight embrace.

"I missed being here," he murmured, leaning down and burying his face in her neck. "I missed you."

She patted him on the back.

"It doesn't feel right anywhere else," he said quietly. "But here, somehow, it feels like home."

She sighed when he said that, wrapping her arms around him to return the hug. She knew for a fact that she would not let him go.


	8. Chapter 8

Aight sweeties, Tsu is back! XD I apologize for being away for so long; my parents are getting divorced and my boyfie got ill :( I hope there are still readers though~ Love chu~~

It was one thing knowing Kaoru would ask Kenshin to stay. It was quite another actually getting the words out. She couldn't shake the fear that he might say no, humiliating her. Or maybe he would ask why she'd changed her mind, and she didn't even know that herself. As he sprawled on the couch, lost in watching a variety show, Kaoru stared at him.

Why _did_ she want him to stay? She had indeed missed him, though she wasn't sure why. She had never realized she was lonely until he had burst into her life. Once she had lost someone hugging her in delight the moment she returned home, someone sitting beside her as she watched television and chatting animatedly to her, someone bugging her for specific food and ingredients when she shopped, she realized how much she had enjoyed it.

"What?" said Kenshin, glancing over at Kaoru. "Why are you staring at me?"

"N-no reason!" she stammered, blushing hotly and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, ducking her head in embarrassment.

A grin broke out over Kenshin's face. "You had this look on your face."

"No I didn't! ...What look?"

"Like you just wanted to jump my bones…" Kenshin cooed, sitting up and smirking at her.

"I did not!" she protested, feeling her heart speed up erratically. "I was... I was thinking that I missed you, that's all."

Kenshin said nothing, simply looking at her expectantly. He was waiting for her to ask him to stay, she realised. But even with him sitting there gazing at her, the words stuck in her throat. She had too much pride.

When a few minutes had passed and she'd still remained silent, Kenshin sighed and stood up, his hands in his pockets. "It's getting dark," he said, making no effort to disguise the dejection in his voice. "I should get back to the hostel."

He gave her one last look, then headed towards the door. Kaoru followed him, mouth opening and shutting like a goldfish.

"I guess I'll see you around, right?" Kenshin said as he slipped into his Converse and began tying the laces. He was tying them slowly, stalling for time. "If you ever want company..." he trailed off.

"Right," she mumbled, letting him unlock the door. Kenshin smiled solemnly at Kaoru, then turned to leave.

Something burst inside of her. In her head she could see the back of him as he left, hear the fading sound of his footsteps down the corridor, feeling the returned emptiness in the pit of her stomach. Before he could disappear through the doorway she grabbed him, giving the door a swift push to shut it.

"Kaoru?" he said.

"Don't..." she mumbled, staring down at her feet opposite his so she didn't have to meet his eyes. "Don't go, okay? Stay here with me."

Kenshin was silent.

"For as long as you want," she added. "...Please."

For a few agonising moments Kenshin still said nothing, but then his arms came up around her, hugging her close. Relief flooded into her. _'My pet is back.'_

Kenshin spent the evening sprawled over her floor in front of the game consoles, playing a sword-fighting game. Normally she didn't like it because it involved bloodshed, but she'd been given that one as a gift a few years ago and had kept it for the sole reason that when she was in a bad mood it was sort of satisfying to beat up people-shaped pixels.

Kenshin was much better at it than she was. Rather than just mashing on the controller the way she usually did, he was controlling his character with a level of skill her copy of the game had never seen before.

It was tempting to sit and watch him, but she had homework to do. So Kaoru glumly sat at the kitchen table and tried to ignore the grunts and punch noises coming from behind her as she worked. Eventually she felt your eyelids drooping. It was almost ten o'clock - definitely time for bed.

"Okay, turn the game off," she said, getting to her feet. "It's time for bed." She ignored Kenshin's disappointed little groan. But he was more obedient about it than he had been before, immediately switching the game off as she said, and even packing the controller away rather than leaving it on the floor like he usually did. Then he scrambled to his feet and trotted into her room.

Wait.

_ Into my room...?_

Kenshin always slept on the couch, as that was the set-up. Well, always but for that last night he'd spent curled up at the end of the bed, but surely he didn't want a repeat of that. It couldn't have been comfortable. Dreading what she might find, Kaoru followed him into her room.

He had already clambered into her bed, burrowing under the covers until he was simply a lump underneath the duvet.

"Kenshin," she said, in her best warning tone. "What are you doing?"

Kenshin's head poked out from underneath the covers. He cocked it at her inquisitively. "What do you mean?"

"I mean why are you in my bed? You sleep on the couch."

Kenshin blinked, looking genuinely lost. She realised he wasn't just putting up an innocent front to avoid a telling-off, he really was bewildered. "I thought," he said slowly, "after that last day we had..."

Kaoru bit her lip, avoiding his eyes. This was fast becoming awkward.

"I thought we were more like a couple now," Kenshin said sheepishly. The disappointment was heavy in his voice.

"I... didn't mean to give you that impression," was all she could say.

Kenshin slithered out from underneath the covers, scratching the back of his neck self-consciously.

"Is it because I'm younger than you?" he queried, and when finally she glanced at him she had to fight the urge to flinch, seeing the raw hurt in his face. "Or-oh no, did you start seeing that Ryu guy while I was away?"

"No!" she denied quickly, nothing short of adamant, "It's nothing like that."

_What is it then?_ she wondered. She wasn't even sure herself. Maybe it was that she still barely knew Kenshin, and yet found herself with scarily intense feelings for this boy who had appeared out of nowhere. It made her nervous.

"If you need me," Kenshin said glumly, pushing past her, "I'll be on the couch." Kaoru stood open mouthed, feeling rather guilty.

The following week, Ryuzabaro asked Kaoru out.

He seemed like he'd been working up the courage to finally do it for days, maybe even weeks. It happened as the two of them walked home together after class, and his rapid-fire conversation suddenly came to an unexpected halt as the pair walked towards her front door.

"You can say no if you want," he said suddenly.

"Say no to what?"

He swallowed, obviously hesitant. "I was going to ask you... I mean, I am asking you..." He cleared his throat, then when that didn't seem to give him the courage he wanted, cleared it again. "Would you," he started, then paused and began chewing on his bottom lip nervously.

"Ryu," she smiled. "Spit it out."

"Wouldyougoonadatewithme?" he said finally, the words tumbling haphazardly from his lips.

"Sorry?" she asked, a brow arching, stopping as she finally reached the door and cocking her head at him – a habit picked up from Kenshin.

"A date," Ryu repeated, blinking rapidly. "Would you... would you like to go on one? With me," he added, as if worrying she might not get that part.

At first she wanted to laugh, and only just managed to hold the giggles in. He looked so cute standing there blinking at her like a rabbit face to face with a fox. The urge to laugh left her as she realised she would have to turn him down. She had Kenshin.

...But why was that a reason to turn him down? Kenshin was just a pet, not a boyfriend. Maybe Kenshin was why she should say yes to Ryu. These strange, worrying feelings about Kenshin might be put to rest if she had a boyfriend. And Ryu was sweet, and dependable, and cute as well.

Maybe she should say yes to him.

As she opened her mouth to reply, the door swung open and Kenshin burst out, draping himself all over her.

"Master! I thought I heard you outside!" he purred, nuzzling into her neck adoringly. Feeling her stiffen rather than embrace him back as she usually did, he let go. "What's wrong?"

"Kenshin," she murmured awkwardly. "This is my friend Ryu."

Kenshin turned to see Ryu gawking at him, wide-eyed and bemused. Kaoru's stomach twisted uncomfortably. _How am I meant to explain this?_

"Master~! I thought I heard you outside!"

That much was true enough. After hearing Kaoru's footsteps outside Kenshin had switched the television off and bounded over to the front door, poised to launch himself at his beloved Master the moment she entered the way he usually did. Then he heard talking.

He had pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear what was being said - and more importantly, who Kaoru was talking to. It was hard to make everything out, but he heard enough. Someone, probably that annoying Ryu guy, was trying to make a move on her.

That wasn't about to happen on Kenshin's watch. There was only room for one man in her life, and as far as he was concerned that spot was taken.

He had thrown the door open and immediately staked his claim on her, making sure to throw in the "Master~!" just to make things hard for her to wriggle out of. Try and explain _that_ one away easily.

It was with some satisfaction he saw Ryu staring at the pair with wide, uncomprehending eyes; his mouth hung open slightly in disbelief. Kenshin took advantage of the fact that she had frozen in horrified shock to cuddle closer to her, tightening his arms around her possessively.

_Mine_, he wanted to say to that goofy Ryu boy. _Stay away._

After a few awkward seconds she tried to recover herself. "Ahhh..." she started, looking for the right words. "This is, ah, Kenshin. My... cousin."

"Your cousin," Ryu repeated slowly.

"Her cousin," Kenshin echoed smugly, one arm sliding down to hug at her hip in a distinctly un-cousinly way.

"Right, he's visiting this week," Kaoru continued, sensing Ryu didn't believe her but determined to carry on anyway. "We... don't get to see each other often."

Ryu stared at her blankly.

"Ah! He gives me these stupid nicknames," she babbled. "Like 'Master' because I boss him about..." Kaoru trailed off, laughing unconvincingly. "It's an inside joke."

"Mmhmm," Kenshin drawled sexily, resting his head against hers and giving Ryu a pointed, knowing smirk. "We have lots of inside jokes."

He was pushing his luck. He knew it. If he went much further she might send him back to the hostel, and even if he stopped now he'd be in her bad books for weeks - but he couldn't help himself. Even if he was just a lowly pet, he needed to stake his claim on her _somehow_.

The look on Ryu's face told him he'd at least managed that.

"Well, it's nice that you guys can get together this week," Ryuzabaro said politely, but the dejection in his eyes and voice was impossible to hide. Kaoru felt a twinge of guilt tug at her. "I guess... I'll see you in class?" he said to her, and she nodded a reply, shooting him an apologetic look.

_ Once I get Kenshin inside, he's in for a world of misery._


End file.
